Vancouver Knights vs Bangla Tigers Mississauga, GBL T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 22 July 2023

VAK vs BTM Match Prediction & Analysis

This will be the second match for both teams. While Mississauga Panthers will play Brampton Wolves in the season opener, Vancouver Knights will kick off their campaign against Toronto Nationals.

Knights were the champions of the inaugural edition of the tournament and the runners-up in 2019. As the GT20 returns after 4 years, there are a few new teams, one of them being the Mississauga Panthers. 

Shoaib Malik and Chris Gayle, who were part of the Vancouver Knights in 2019 will be playing for the Mississauga Panthers in 2023. Whereas, Rassie van der Dussen continues to be part of the Knights.

He’s joined by some other T20 stars such as Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman. In terms of batting, Panthers have a solid lineup on paper with some of the top names in T20 cricket. 

Power-hitting batters have always played a key role in GT20 Canada but the bowlers with varieties and cutters manage to overcome any challenge.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Vancouver Knights Preview

Vancouver Knights have featured in the Final in both editions of the GT20 Canada so far. While the team has changed a lot since the last season in 2019, the Knights have a solid overall squad that can make a good case to reach the final once again.

The likes of Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman will be crucial at the top. Rizwan has a more cautious approach and can be the anchor for the team’s innings while Zaman is known for his quick-scoring approach in the powerplay.

And then there’s Reeza Hendricks who can feature at number 3. He has a strike rate of 131 in T20Is and averages 31.51. He could carry the momentum set by the openers and build another partnership in the middle.

The batting lineup just keeps getting better as it goes further down. Rassie van der Dussen has been a crucial middle-order batsman for South Africa and will be playing a finisher’s role here for the Knights as well. 

He will have the support of the big-hitting middle-order batsman from Afghanistan, Najibullah Zadran. Vancouver Knights have also drafted the Windies batting all-rounder Fabian Allen. While he’s got potential, he hasn’t been very impressive in T20 leagues.

Ruben Trumplemann, the left-arm fast bowler from Namibia impressed everyone in the last T20 World Cup. He will lead the bowling attack along with Corbin Bosch and Junaid Siddique.

Vancouver Knights Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Najibullah Zadran, Fabian Allen, Rubel Trumplemann, Corbin Bosch, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Muhammad Kamal

Vancouver Knights Actual Playing XI:

Reeza Hendricks, Ravinderpal Singh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Vriitya Aravind, Harsh Thaker, Rassie van der Dussen, Nawab Singh, Corbin Bosch, Fakhar Zaman, Junaid Siddique, Fabian Allen

Bangla Tigers Mississauga Preview

There is no doubt that the Panthers have roped in some big stars in their squad. But most of these are not only old but also retired from international cricket. 

The universe boss Chris Gayle will be back in action as he would likely open the innings for Mississauga Panthers. While there’s no word on the captains for any of these teams, we reckon, Shoaib Malik is the most likely candidate for the skipper's role in this side.

Cameron Delport, who made headlines in T20 leagues but failed to make international debut is also part of the all-rounders list in the Panthers squad.

However, the key all-rounder for Panthers would be James Neesham. He was impressive in the SA20 with both bat and ball. He will be tasked with finishing the match for Mississauga Panthers and also leading with the ball.

Even if he doesn’t finish his quota of 4 overs, he can still find a valuable breakthrough for the team. Tom Cooper, a senior batsman from the Netherlands would also be seen in the middle order alongside Shoaib Malik. 

There is plenty of batting firepower in this team. For Gayle’s opening partner, the wicket-keeper batsman from Pakistan, Azam Khan is a clear choice.

We expect a lot of fireworks when the Mississauga Panthers come out to bat. There are many spinners in this squad. Usman Qadir will be a key leg-break bowler but there’s also Nikhil Dutta and Shoaib Malik with right-arm off-break.

Bangla Tigers Mississauga Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Gayle, Azam Khan (wk), Cameron Delport, Shoaib Malik (c), Tom Cooper, James Neesham, Navneet Dhaliwal, Zahoor Khan, Usman Qadir, Nikhil Dutta, Jaskaran Singh

Bangla Tigers Mississauga Actual Playing XI:

Jaskarandeep Singh Buttar, Nikhil Dutta, Shoaib Malik, Praveen Kumar, Tom Cooper, Azam Khan, Navneet Dhaliwal, Zahoor Khan, Chris Gayle, James Neesham, Usman Qadir

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a batting-friendly pitch and considering the stats one could expect a high-scoring contest between the two teams. Pace-off-the-ball would be the strategy for success for the bowlers on this surface. The weather would be mostly sunny in Brampton on the match day.

VAK vs BTM Pitch Report

CAA Centre in Brampton will be the only venue for all the matches in GT20 Canada 2023. The average 1st innings score here is 174 runs which shows that even a 180-185 runs total wouldn’t be safe. The first few matches will give a clear idea of what to expect from the pitch and what would be a winning total at this venue.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams batting second have won 13 of the 18 T20s played on this ground. It is a clear choice to win the toss and bowl first here. Both teams have deep batting lineups with big-hitting players at every position.